Foot protecting device for skaters



Feb; 4, 1936. OHLER 2,029,787

FOOT PROTECTING DEVICE FOR SKATERS Filed March 12, 1954 1 M I i v. .v H

- INVENTOR ALBERT A. OHLER.

Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

My invention relates to: protecting devices for use by skaters and with shoes having permanently attached skates; and the purpose thereof is to provide a flexible fabric covering readily attachable to and removable from the shoe for protecting the foot of the user, particularly the toe and instep, from cold when skating. The device being made of fabric, and being easily put in place, may thus be conveniently carried in the pocket when not required for protecting the foot from cold; and when required for warmth may be easily attached to the shoe to thereby protect the foot from cold.

The drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification illustrates the preferred form of my invention although the same may be embodied in other forms; and I regard my invention as including such variations and modifications of the preferred form illustrated as come within the scope of the concluding claims, wherein the features in which my invention consists are particularly pointed out.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a View showing my foot protecting device secured in place upon a shoe.

Figure 2 is a view looking upward from a plane indicated by the line 22, Figure 1, showing the way in which my device is fastened by securing means lying beneath the sole of the shoe.

Figure 3 is a view showing my foot protecting device as extending part way only of the length of the shoe, and as having a different form of a securing device for holding it in place thereupon.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view, looking up, showing the securing device made use of in Figure 3 more in detail.

Figure 5 is a View showing a section upon a plane indicated by the line 5-5, Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the skate 6 is permanently secured to the sole of the shoe 1 through plates at the upper ends of pillars 8, which are fastened to the sole 9 of the shoe by rivets or otherwise as is usual in so-called hockey skates.

My protecting device It) comprises a flexible fabric covering made from any suitable material and which overlies the toe and instep of the foot and shoe, and extends beneath the instep as shown, and which covering extends back from the toe. This covering may terminate in front of the heel of the shoe, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, or it may have side parts H which extend to behind the heel of the shoe and are there fastened together by separable fastening means l2 of any suitable form.

The free lower edge of the covering I 0 as shown at 13, extends and lies beneath the sole of the shoe, and backward along and beneath the side edges of the sole from the toe to a point beneath the instep in the preferred form of my invention illustrated; and associated with this lower'edge and lying beneath the sole when the device is in use is a releasable fastening or securing member for drawing oppositely disposed portions of said lower edge toward oneanother, to thereby hold the cover it! in place upon the shoe and secure a close fit thereof about the instep; oppositely disposed portions of the underlying part I3 being free to move toward one another beneath the instep as will be understood.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 5 the releasable fastening member I4 is in the form of a wire bent into a loop and the bend of which lies adjacent the toe, and the sides of which extend to beneath the instep andthe extremities of which sides are so shaped that they may be interlocked with one another, or hooked together, as shown at I5, the engaging parts being of any shape suitable to accomplish that result. This U-shaped fastening member being made from spring wire is therefore resilient, and tends to draw opposite parts of the lower edge l3 toward one another; and the same is preferably enclosed within the free edge of the covering by folding said edge over the fastening member and sewing the folded over part It to the covering, as shown in Figure 5. The fastening member I4 may or may not be bent to provide portions I! which grasp the forward skate pillar 8 to thereby hold the front toe part of the device more securely in place and prevent forward movement thereof; and when such auxiliary holding members are used they may be formed by coils in the sides of the securing member I4, or by other shapes thereof, so long as they grasp the skate pillar and serve to hold the front part of the device more securely in place.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figures 3 and. 4 the releasable fastening member I8 is in the form of a cord enclosed within the free edge of the covering l0 and extending from the toe rearwardly along said edge, and beyond the same so that it may be crossed beneath the instep and tied about the ankle as shown.

The fastening means for securing the fabric covering in in place thus lies beneath the sole of the shoe when the device is in place thereupon, and. is thus out of sight, and the arrangement of 1. A foot protecting device for skaters com prising a unitary fabric covering adapted to overlie the toe and instep of a shoe, and'having a free edge which lies beneath and extends back ward from the toe and along and beneath the side edges of the sole of the shoe, and part way;

only across the underside of the sole, and a releasable and resilient member extending backward from the toe engaged with said free edge and adapted to constantly draw and hold said fabric covering closely and neatly engaged with the top of the shoe.

2. A foot protecting device for skaters comprisinga unitary fabric covering adapted to overlie the toe and instep of a shoe, and having a free edge which lies beneath and extends backward from the toe and along and beneath the side edges of the sole of the shoe and part way only across the underside of the sole, and side parts which extend to a point back of the heel of the shoe, a releasable and resilient holding member extending backward from the toe engaged with said free edge and terminating at a point beneath the instep, said member adapted to constantly draw and hold said covering closely and neatly engaged with the top of the shoe, and separate fastening means for securing the extremities of said side parts together.

3. A foot protecting device for skaters comprising a fabric covering adapted to overlie the vtoe and instep of a shoe, and having a free edge which lies beneath and extends backward from the toe and along and beneath the side edges of theisole of the shoe, and part way only across vthe underside of the sole, and a resilient U- shaped holding member engaged with said free prising a fabric covering adapted to overlie the toe and instep of a shoe, and having a free edge which lies beneath and extends backward from the toe and along and beneath the side edges of the sole of the shoeand part way only across the underside of the sole, and a U-shaped resilient holding member enclosed within said free edge and extending backward from the toe and the free'ends of which lie beneath the instep, said member adapted to yieldingly draw and constantly hold said covering to closely engage the shoe top, the front end portion of said holding member having a formation adapted to grasp a skate pillar, and the free rear ends thereof being formed to interlock with each other and create resilient tension in said holding member for the purpose stated.

5. A foot protecting device for skaters comprising a flexible covering adapted to overlie a toe and instep of a shoe, and having a. free edge which lies beneath and extends along the side edges of the sole of the shoe and part way only across the underside of the sole and which free edge terminates at the locality of the instep, said covering having upwardly rebated portions constitutin'g side parts which extend to a point back of the heel of the shoe with means for detachably securing them together, and a releasable securing member engaged with said free edge to draw it inward and cause the covering to fit closely upon the top of the shoe, said securing member having provision for quick release at the locality of the instep, whereby the covering with said securing member may be cleared of the skate pillars and quickly applied to'or removed from the shoe.

ALBERT A. OHLER. 

